Title: A
Good Influence
Author: Andromiel
Rating: M
Warnings:
Yaoi, AU, mentions of drug and suicide.
Disclaimer: I own
nothing from any Final Fantasy game or Kingdom Hearts.
Author
notes: Oh, boy. Uhm. Here I am. Almost two years later. Yeah. Uhm. If
you kill me, the fic will really never be finished. I don't even
know if anyone will still want to read this, but here we go.

I know KH2
is out and all, but I have yet to play all of it (I'm playing it
with a friend and we don't get together that often) so there will
not be any CoM or KH2 characters. Sorry. It would just complicate
things in the long run.

"Sora."
"Mmn."
The teenager in question curled up against the funky blue ivy. Apart
from that however-he didn't stir.
Lulu let
out a frustrated breath. "Sora!"
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.

What was
he, deaf? Lulu rubbed her forehead, wondering why she even tried.
Additionally, she didn't even want to know why Riku's little
playmate was taking a nap outside of the house. It wasn't that
late-barely seven o'clock. How long had he been there on the floor?
The
stately woman crossed her arms before finally giving up on her
dignity and kicking the teenager none-too-lightly.

"Wake
up."

"Wah-!
Oww-what?" Finally Sora reacted and stumbled halfway to his feet
before falling over again on his butt. He blinked, dumbfounded in a
sleepy daze, dark brown hair all over the place. "Huh?"
A few
seconds passed by before mental acuity kicked in with a bang.

"Oh
thank GOD, AUNT LU."
"Don't
ca-" Lulu flinched and was cut short when Sora launched himself
and clung to her skirts. Even she was a bit speechless, not that it
would have mattered had she been able to speak. Sora was filling the
silence just fine by himself.

"Riku
was mean and he dumped me and I mean that in a totally
platonic way the by way just in case I thought you should know
because some people would take it in other ways but ANYWAY he left me
this morning and it was really rude and mean and I had to get a ride
home from someone else and then I discovered that I had no key
because you people gave me a cell phone and a cool room but no key
and that was a bit of a problem because nobody was answering the door
and-mff." Sora blinked, finding it just a little bit challenging to
speak when Lulu had his lips pinched shut.

Lulu shook
her head. She wasn't understanding a word he was saying. She really
wasn't. That was just too absurd.
"I'm
going to let go, and I'm going to let you in the house. Not one
word."

Sora held
up one hand, as if to silently say I promise. Lulu released
him reluctantly, unsure what to expect from him.
Her
paranoia did not go unanswered-he popped back on his feet like a Jack
in a Box and caught her in a full blown bear hug. Then he let go of
her so quick she was left dizzy.
By the
time she got her bearings straight, he was gone.

Lulu
rubbed her temples. He is way too likeable to kill, too annoying
to be allowed to exist.

The first
objective; find Riku. The second objective; get some food, because
his stomach was killing him.

Sora
prowled the first floor in must-find-Riku­ mode before
realizing that once again, he was unmistakably lost. Oh. Well.
Damn.

He stopped
short before a darkened hallway and scratched the back of his head.
Was he supposed to go left? Or right? He fidgeted in indecision.
Actually, he should probably backtrack. Going into gloomy hallways
was generally the stupid thing to do in horror movies. Except he was
almost nearly sure that there was a staircase somewhere around there.
He was already lost, why not just go for it?

In the
middle of his deep debating, the sound of his cell phone going off
didn't register until it began vibrating. Sora jerked in surprise,
wondering what the hell that was until finally remembering he,
Sora Kogai, did actually own a cell phone.
Which he
could have used to call someone to let him in the house.

Sometimes,
he really wasn't that bright.

Resigned,
the teenager pulled the phone free of his baggy pockets and answered
it.
"Yo,
Sora here."
"Are we
working on the project tonight?"
"What-oh,
hi Leon! Uhm. Do you want to?" Sora awkwardly looked around,
deciding finally to attempt to retrace his steps to the entrance. The
spooky hallway was just too spooky to go in there alone.

"I would
prefer to get as much work done as quickly as possible."
"Mmn.
Fair enough. It's-" Sora paused to check his watch. "Almost
eight. Your mom won't mind me being over there? S'a bit late."
Over the
line there was a split second of silence before Leon spoke, and in
that second Sora heard Elma speaking clearly to her son.
"Mind?
Tell him he's free to sleep over here!" Her cheerful voice
carried across the line and Sora laughed, unable to help himself.
"Hey, why not?" He grinned.

"No."
Leon said firmly, feeling a pending sense of doom crawling up his
spine.

"Aww,
why not? You afraid I got cooties?" The younger teenager snickered
evilly. "Leon's afraid of cooties" He sing-sang, mood lighting
up. "Besides, your mother feeds me and uses me as her test
bunny. You gonna deprive her of that?"
"Test
bunny!" Sora heard Elma say on the other side of line, and he
nodded empathically. "See? I mean, hear? Two against one! Plus, we
can get a bunch of work done" He dangled the tempting morsel
before Leon, waiting to see what he'd decide. Either way, this was
the most fun he'd had all day-his nose didn't even hurt anymore.

Leon
sighed in defeat.
"When do
I pick you up?"
"Like…
twenty minutes?""Alright."

Before
Sora could explain that he wasn't technically living at home-Leon
hung up the phone. He rolled his eyes. Leon really needed to learn
some social skills-it wouldn't kill him.
Or would
they?
He stashed
away the thought for further consideration at a more appropriate time
(when he was really bored) and called back. The phone was answered on
the second ring.

After
several seconds, Sora tilted his head curiously. Leon had yet to
answer, and time was dragging on to a full minute. "Leon?"
The phone
line went dead.

Really
needed to learn some social skills. Sora shook his head and pocketed
the phone again, only to discover his feet had unconsciously led him
to a part of the house he half-recognized. At least enough to
navigate his way back to his room without too much trouble.

He bit his
lip and wondered if he should try talking to Riku first. That stunt
he'd pulled that morning was actually pretty cruel, in a petty,
irresponsible way. Riku didn't deserve to be talked to just
yet.

Sora
shrugged it off and snagged the attention of a maid he encountered.
"Hey, could you tell Aunt Lu that I'm sleeping over at a friend's
house?"
The maid
gave him the strangest look. "Yes, sir."
"Thanks.
Uhm…" He sighed. He really needed to put up those poster signs on
the walls. "Which way is my room?"

It
actually took him longer than twenty minutes to meet Leon in front of
the gates-not because he had problems packing an overnight bag, but
rather because he got lost.

Again.

He was
really starting to think the house hated him.

Leon's
gleaming black Jeep was parked just before the gates, the ignition
still running. He'd changed clothes since Sora had seen him at
school, with a leather jacket and pants that had Sora eyeing him with
curiosity. "Nice look. Aren't you hot? In a non-sexual way?"
Leon
spared him a slight glance. "No. It's winter."
"Nah,
it's not winter until it snows and I get to eat snow ice cones."
Sora grinned, shoving the duffle bag into the back of the jeep and
buckling himself into the passenger seat. There was a strange tension
inside the car, although it didn't feel like it was directed at
him. Sora eyed Leon out of the corner of his eye with some wariness,
having been experiencing more than his share of grumpy loners in the
past few days to recognize the signs of a really bad mood.

"I
really don't mean to spend the night if you honestly don't want
me to." He said carefully, inspecting Leon's stiff, wound up body
language. Something was really bothering the older boy.
"I don't
mind." Leon said after a long pause, gaze focused entirely on the
road. "Mom really took to you."

Sora
resisted the urge to point out they hadn't been discussing his
mother, except it was an olive branch and he was perceptive enough to
realize it. "She cooks really well. She should a chef. Yummy."
"She's...
an interior decorator."
"Ah,
must be interesting."
"Not
really." Leon drove in silence for a few miles before realizing the
silence was unnatural. He raised an eyebrow and finally spared Sora a
look.

"I
thought you said you were a parrot?"
"I am.
Just a little bit tired." Sora shrugged. "Being me takes up
energy, you know? I need food to replenish my health bar."
"Your
what?"
"Health
bar. Don't you ever play video games?" Sora bounced up slightly
in his seat, reanimating quickly. "Like, usually you have to rescue
some dumb princess who spends all her time being kidnapped, but
they're really hella fun. Then you get a group together and rescue
the princess but of course it isn't that easy because the plot
won't let you off like that and instead it'll turn out that the
princess has super magical special powers that can be used to bring
on the end of the world AND or give the villain the ability somehow
to rule the world. Not that I know why anyone would want to rule the
world, that is just entirely too much work and no vacation time.
Seriously! You probably don't even get benefits or insurance and
then rebel groups are always trying to kill you or bring down your
communist rule and god forbid you ever have children because they'll
try to kill you too by either joining the rebel people or attempting
to take the throne before your time is up-ungrateful brats-and then
the plot will be against you which means sooner or later some
unlikely hero is going to bust into your fortress of impenetrable
darkness that has been penetrated and kick your ass. On the other
hand you get to like, change forms five times so that's fun. In a
completely bizarre, random way-"

"Sora."
"Yeah?"
"Shut
up."
"Why
Leon, I love you too!"

Elma had
outdone herself-or rather, she had damned her son.

She gave
Sora sugar. Copious amounts of the stuff in the form of home made
doughnuts and cakes topped with thick, heavy cream and little
gingerbread men.
It was
like giving sugar to a ferret-highly dangerous. As soon as Leon
realized what was happening-he left the two alone and hid in his
room. Except he didn't –hide- of course, just… gave himself a
little protection. For all the good it did him, considering a short
while later Sora barreled in with a plateful of delicate sugary
pastries and two glasses of milk.

"I don't
drink milk." Leon said, resigned, imagining the mess of sticky
crumbs on his bed after the night was done. Sora just shrugged. "Who
said it was for you?" He grinned, then looked around.

"Nice. A
little Spartan, but nice. Are those actual weapons?" Sora balanced
the food somewhat precariously while inspecting the wall full of
unusual looking weapons. They didn't really look like they would be
the most easy to wield or all that effective, but there was something
fascinating about the designs.

"What if
there was an earthquake?" He mused. "That'd be pretty scary. Or
a poltergeist ghost thing-person! Or a crazy axe murderer-wait, are
axe murderers allowed to use other weapons? I mean, you never heard
of like… a spoon murderer! Or a fork murderer!" He paused. "A
SPORK murderer!"

"Sora?"
"Yes?"
"Sit
down."
"Okay."
Sora turned his back on the rack and sat down on the floor, figuring
it was the most stable surface-sans earthquakes. He could still peer
over the top of the bed at Leon.

"Okay,
so what do have?"
"Lots of notes in your handwriting that I
can't read."
"Pfft,
my handwriting is perfectly fine… with a mirror." Sora did a
faint, wiggling motion with his hand. "Took me forever to
learn how to write in reverse, but it's fun!"
"When…
exactly did you write these notes in reverse?" In doubt, yet unable
to deny the proof of Sora's… uniqueness, Leon looked down at
their compiled story notes. He wondered if it was possible to bribe
the teacher into letting him do the project by himself. He could use
a health related excuse-Sora was going to drive him into downright
lunacy.

"I
dunno." Sora shrugged and apparently dismissed the subject. "We
still working on the modern concept or the Renaissance one?"
"Modern.
Less historical research."
"Ah,
less work! I'm up for it. Or down for it? Or… or…!"

"Sora?"
"Yes?
"Shut
up."

Several
hours passed by in relative silence. They both settled down with
crafting basic characters and settings, and Sora was oddly pleased by
the fact Leon seemed to appreciate the work. Enjoy it, even. It
seemed unlikely that Leon would be in a Creative Writing class at
all, much less like it. Sora himself only took it for fun, not for
any real interest in writing. (That and Biology 2 had been full)

It was…
sort of nice. To see Leon immersed in something. Not like he knew the
older teenager very well, but he got the instinctive feeling that
Leon didn't allow himself to get enjoyment out of many
things.

Ending one
character profile, Sora stopped to massage his hand and took the
opportunity to have a small break. The room's ambiance was
tranquil, as opposed to the terse energy that had jammed into the
Jeep earlier. He frowned at the recollection. Leon apparently wasn't
mad at him, so perhaps he'd just been in a bad mood because of
something that had nothing to do with Sora.

Except…
Leon had been his normal self until Sora had told him where to pick
him up.

Now that
was just bizarre. A frown creased Sora's face as he focused and
circled around the mystery. Leon. Riku's house. Leon. Riku's
house. Leon. Riku's house.

Did Leon
and Riku know each other?

Now that
the possibility arose, it wasn't unlikely. They were both seniors
in the same school, both rich. They even likely ran in the same
social circles-their parents were sure to know each other. Hell, they
even shared some major personality traits. The more the soccer player
considered it, the more plausible the strain of thought became.

Until he
felt sure of it. Leon and Riku shared some sort of connection and it
wasn't a friendly one, judging from Leon's reaction to the house.
Which made Sora cringe, wondering what Leon was wondering
about Sora being there. He bit his chapped lower lip, attempting to
be smart about the situation. Leon and Riku? Not friends. Leon knew
Sora was at Riku's house-but not why. Leon apparently didn't want
to talk about Riku, so he wouldn't ask why Sora was at said abode.
Except Sora felt uneasy about letting Leon free to ponder on why Sora
was at Riku's house, so he had to tread carefully and tell him
about why he was at Riku's house-without making it seem like he was
telling Leon for any particular reason and-

"My heat
hurts."
"Pardon?"
Leon raised his head, unsure if he'd heard right.
"Uh,
nothing. I think I'm suffering through a sugar low." Sora fibbed,
laughing it off nervously. "I'm going to get some water. Want
anything?"
"I'm
fine."
"'kay.
Sora slowly got up from the floor, aware that his muscles would be
somewhat sleepy from being locked in the same position . He collected
the empty glasses and plate he'd brought with him and took them
down to the kitchen.

Mrs.
Hart-or rather, 'Elma', was in the kitchen with a steaming mug of
something light colored and green. She looked up at his entrance and
gave him a happy smile.

"How's
it going up there?"
"Not
bad. We're almost ready to start working on the project itself."
Despite his somewhat bleak, edgy mood, Sora managed a quirky smile.
He really liked Elma-she was kind of her son's antithetical twin.
Plus, she liked to cook which was a huge bonus in her favor. After
all, Sora liked to eat.

Setting
down his burden, Sora quickly washed out one glass and refilled it
with water. The mindless task kept him occupied until he turned
around to face Elma's appraising stare.

"…uhm."
"Oh."
She blinked. "I apologize. I was just thinking. You and my son
could be related."
Sora
blinked back, startled. "What?" Then he thought about it. Dark
brown hair? Check. Blue eyes? Check. Then he laughed. "I'm too
short."

"No, not
really. Leon used to be about your height at your age." Elma mused.
"But that's just my musings. Do you two need anything else? I'm
about to head off to bed."
"No,
thank you. We're fending off just fine." Sora raised his glass.
"Well, goodnight. Thank you for letting me stay over and feeding
me. It was yummy."
"My
pleasure." Elma beamed at him and patted his head when she passed
by. Sora felt warmth inside him, as if he'd just had that chat with
his own mother. He made a note to call his mother again after school
and headed back up to Leon's room.

Sora
opened the door and was about to embark in what he thought was a
casual retelling of how he ended up living with Riku when he realized
Leon… had fallen asleep. With his head resting on a curled up arm
and pages of notes under him. At the sight, Sora stood still and
finally laughed inaudibly.

As quietly
as he could, he picked up the papers on the floor and set them on the
table. The last thing he did before retreating into a guest room was
flipping the lights off.

End
chapter

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